What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hinsdale has the most homeowners (80.2%).

Bennington has the most people working from home (15.1%).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Hinsdale	Bennington
People
Population	3,997Lowest	15,249Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.3±10.6Highest 37% above U.S.	44.7±2.3Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Hinsdale and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.7%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Bennington and Hinsdale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.6%±9.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	25.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hinsdale and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	12.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.5%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,191±$5kHighest 14% below U.S.	$59,446±$7kLowest 26% below U.S.
	Hinsdale and Bennington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$200,700±$19kLowest 40% below U.S.	$213,300±$15kHighest 36% below U.S.
	Bennington and Hinsdale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,050±$409Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,133±$63Highest 20% below U.S.
	Bennington and Hinsdale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,899Highest 57% above U.S.	$4,513Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.8%±22.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.8%±14.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bennington and Hinsdale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 10% below U.S.	17 minLowest 35% below U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.1%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bennington and Hinsdale are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#110 of 120 in NH	#58 of 70 in VT
School district	Hinsdale School District	Southwest Tech · Southwest Vermont Union Elementary School District #87
High school in town	Hinsdale High School	Mt. Anthony Senior Union High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.